Ramanujan’s Tryst With Infinity

Ramanujan’s tryst with infinity might sound like a perplexed heading but if you know everything and you have the power to challenge all existing theories on mathematics, then infinity is certainly the correct word that describes the Indian Mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan. What’s amazing is that he never had any training in mathematics but still he made path breaking revelations on mathematics.

The man himself

Srinivasa Ramanujan was born on 22nd December 1887 in Tamil Nadu. When he was only 11 years old he had the knowledge of mathematics equivalent to what is taught in college. When he was only 13 he had mastered the trigonometry and developed a few theorems on his own. As per the legend he had almighty on his side. Apart from mathematics in which he excelled, he failed miserably in all other subjects. The scholars were so surprised at his revelations that they asked him, how do you know all this? He said he just knows it as a grace of almighty.

Ramanujan’s prime

Ramanujan later in 1914 started working with G.H. Hardy and littlewood and they were so impressed by him theorems that they said he can only be compared with Euler. In 1918 he became he fellow of royal society. Due to serious health problems Ramanujan died in 1920 when he was only 32. One could only wonder what more could he had achieved had he lived a little longer.

Ramanujan’s Tryst With Infinity

Some of the revelations of Ramanujan’s are

Ramanujan’s constant

Ramanujan’s conjecture

Ramanujan’s theta function

Ramanujan’s soldner constant

Ramanujan’s master theorem

Mock theta function

In 2011 India celebrated the 125th anniversary of the wizard and declared 22nd December as the National mathematics day. A movie is released this year on him named as The man who knew infinity. Ramanujan is the pride of India and strengthens the idea that when it comes to logic then we are the best.

In term of area India is placed at 7th number in the world and it keeps second most populated country. India is like a sub-continent rather than a country. India has different parts and so many languages, cultures, manners and has different historical backgrounds. Official name of the country is Republic of India and Indians call their country as INDIA. Two other names for India are BHARAT and HINDUSTAN which is less known outside of India.